PITTSBURGH, March 21 (UPI) -- The 21 people awarded Carnegie Medals for bravery Wednesday include a New Jersey woman killed when she tried to help a shooting victim, Carnegie officials said.
Witnesses said on Oct. 4, 2010, Cara Elllis, 21, of Little Egg Township asked Brian Mueller if he needed help as she rushed toward him. The man who had killed Mueller then shot Ellis before turning his gun on himself.
Another medal recipient, Angela Pierce, came to the aid of a Dayton, Ohio, police officer who was struggling with a man he had pulled over during a traffic stop on Dec. 11, 2010. Pierce, 29, a cashier, was a passenger in a car driving by. She left the vehicle and hit the suspect on the head several times, giving officer Jonathan Seiter a chance to get control of the situation.
The Carnegie Medal is given by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for acts of bravery in the United States and Canada. The commission was established by industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1904.
Most of this year's medals were given for rescues or attempted rescues from drowning. Three, in addition to Ellis', were awarded posthumously.
